CONCERT PREVIEW
Tedeschi Trucks Band
With Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings and Doyle Bramhall II. 7 p.m. July 17. $19.50-$89.50. Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, 2200 Encore Parkway, Alpharetta. 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com.
For guitarist Derek Trucks and his wife, Susan Tedeschi, playing Atlanta is essentially a hometown gig.
The ace musical couple and their kids, Charles and Sophia, reside in Jacksonville, Fla., but as Trucks reminded during a recent chat from his home, several of the musicians in the ample Tedeschi Trucks Band hail from the city, and both he and Tedeschi lived here at some point.
When the 11-piece outfit (plus guest vocalist Alecia Chakour) pulls into Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Alpharetta on July 17, there will be yet another Georgia tie binding the “Wheels of Soul” tour — Augusta native Sharon Jones, who is on the bill with her Dap-Kings.
Also joining the fun — and to hear Trucks talk about the first leg of the tour, the 4 1/2-hour concert sounds like a musician’s nirvana — is singer-guitarist Doyle Bramhall II.
During a 30-minute call, the amiable Trucks, 36, talked about the collaborative tour, what to expect from the new TTB album and the end of the Allman Brothers Band.
Q: How did you get Sharon and Doyle involved in the tour?
A: The idea for this tour started for us two or three years ago during the Black Crowes tour. There was something about being on the road all summer with the same two groups. There's a lot of mutual respect musically and personally, and by the end of the tour, there were some amazing sit-ins. After we got off that tour, it hit us we should put one together. For us, we're such music snobs, we don't really like much. It's hard finding bands that you love that will bring people in! Sharon's name came up early on, but she was dealing with her health problems so that took that away at first, but she's back stronger than ever. It seemed like a no-brainer for us.
Q: And you and Doyle go back to being in Eric Clapton’s band together, right?
A: That's when we first connected. He played on Susan's record "Hope and Desire," and we met then and that is what got me on the Clapton tour. I owe him many dinners for that!
Q: I hear there have already been some collaborations onstage.
A: We've been trying to have that evolve as the tour goes on. Sharon was coming up for most of the encores with most of her band, so there was our band, all the background singers, Doyle — we were probably pushing 22-23 people on stage. It feels good up there. Sharon, she's a fireball, and she and Susan are a great fit. I gotta say, not only because I'm up there, but it's one of those tours that I would certainly buy a ticket for.
Q: When might we see a new album from TTB?
A: We're 95 percent done. When this tour ends, we'll have a real break in August, so that's when we'll mix.
Q: What else can you tell me about it at this point? Does it have a name?
A: No name yet, but we're close on the artwork. To me it's the most realized thing we've done as a band. You feel the personality of the band on stage. All of the songs were written with the band in the room. It's more experimental than anything we've done.
Q: Now that the Allman Brothers Band is history, are you relieved that you have one less thing to worry about in your busy music career?
A: It was such an amazing run and an honor to be a part of, but the first five to eight years of doing it, I felt like we were trying to get it back to where it needed to be, and for me it felt like it was time to move on. That's their legacy. I was never delusional enough to think it was mine. They were in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when I was in Little League! I always loved doing it, and there's family and history, but I felt like when it was time to go, it was time to go.
Q: What are the odds of seeing you do anything again with Gregg Allman or Warren Haynes or any of the Allman guys?
A: I run into Warren quite a bit on the road. I'm sure we'll do something. But I feel like under that name and that lineup, we left it where we should.
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